QUIBI LAUNCHES
Quibi, 12:00 a.m. ET
STREAMING SERVICE PREMIERE: History will record, eventually, whether this new streaming service concept was unfortunate enough to be the right idea at the exact wrong time. The idea behind Quibi, which launches today, is to offer video entertainment in easily digested bite-sized chunks, with each video running 10 minutes or less. Movie-length dramas and comedies are rolled out like old Saturday matinee serials, one short chapter at a time. Some shows are tiny pieces of entertainment, like a sort of micro-miniseries. And still others provide news, information and talk shows in segments even shorter than an evening news segment. But in a moment in history when most of America is sequestered at home, is bite-size really the most attractive option? Or is this the time to gorge on entire seasons’ worth of series, while the watching is good? The powerful, influential, and wealthy folks behind Quibi are insisting yes, their idea is still vital. But they’re insecure enough to change plans just before today’s launch, and offer the service free for three months to anyone who downloads the app. So if you have the time, give it a free trial. And if you don’t have the time, then someday, maybe there will be Mini-Quibi launched just for people like you…